Barbecue and cancer

When I was growing up it seems like my Dad cooked out every weekend. To this day, I’m convinced that Dad’s voluminous carnes asadas must have put cattle, chickens, and swine dangerously close to extinction, or at least on the endangered species list. I am not sure if it was his impecunious childhood, his heartrending experiences overseas during WWII, or whether he just enjoyed cooking out over a mesquite fire, but for some reason he always made enough fajita, sirloin, ribs, chicken, sausage, and papas y cebollas asadas to feed an extra unexpected 50 guests, should they have shown up. They never did!

On top of all that carnage, Mom would prepare her delicious sopa de arroz y frijoles borrachos con bastantes tortillas de harina, hechas a mano. Dad would cook the tortillas outside on a big comal over the brasas, after he finished cooking all the carne. Those tortillas would melt in my mouth. Back in those days, food processors had not yet been invented, so when Mom prepared her delicacies, all the ajo, comino, oregano, chile, cebolla, y tomate, first went into her molcajete which she then ground up with her tejolote. Todo a mano.

Monday thru Friday, Mom made arroz y frijoles for lunch, and Dad would pick up fresh, hot tortillas de maÏz from the tortilleria, on his way home for lunch. If Mom didn’t make picadillo or carne guizada to go with the rice and beans, we ate some of the carne asada from the weekend. Of course, on Fridays, we abstained from eating meat, to keep from going to hell, according to the teachings of the Catholic Church, back in those days.

Dad passed away recently and we greatly miss him, but his legacy of cooking out lives on. I realize that this column is supposed to be about herbs and maybe lean a little towards more of a vegetarian diet. But quite frankly, I am an omnivore. I no longer eat the amount of animal protein that I used to when I was young, but I still enjoy a bit of beef, chicken, turkey, fish, cabrito, wild pig, rabbit, etc., now and then. I keep my cholesterol below 175mg/dl. For those of you not familiar with cholesterol levels, that’s actually pretty good. I eat lots of fruits and vegetables, along with my yerbas. I avoid greasy meats such as mollejas and tripas, and also manteca in general, and all that good-tasting stuff.

So what does barbecue have to do with cancer? Well, by eating carne asada or barbecue, we actually increase our chances of developing certain types of cancers, especially of the colon or breast. This is because an animal protein called creatine, which is found in red meat, fish, and poultry, reacts with the high cooking temperatures of the grill. The resulting compounds are called heterocyclic amines, or HCAs. These HCAs are known carcinogens, and they can actually cause normally healthy cells to become cancerous. Para acabarle de fregar, cooking over a mesquite fire is even worse, due to the higher temperatures generated by that particular type of wood. HCAs are formed within the cooked meat, and not just on the surface, so it does no good to scrape off charred outer surfaces. Just to set the record straight, it is not cooking out over a fire that is the problem, but rather the high temperatures employed in the cooking process. The longer that meat is cooked at higher temperatures, be it grilled, broiled, or fried, the more HCAs are produced. That’s the bad news.

Now for the good news: Since HCAs are the product of a biochemical reaction, altering that pathway can change the outcome of the reaction. Not cooking the meat quite so long, and turning it often, will help reduce the formation of HCAs (of course, meat should be cooked thoroughly enough to destroy E. coli bacteria that may be present). Additionally, if the meat is marinated in a very thin liquid marinade for at least 10 minutes or more, HCA production will be fur- ther reduced during actual grilling. The marinade’s ingredients and its consistency will determine how effective it will be in reducing HCA production. Thick, commercial barbecue sauce can actually triple HCAs, so always dilute thick sauces before using. Herbs and spices, in general, will reduce HCA production. This is due primarily to the anti-oxidant activity that most herbs and spices have in varying degrees. For example, in recent scientific studies, a turmeric-garlic marinade reduced HCAs by 50%, while a teriyaki marinade resulted in a 67% reduction. In further studies, garlic, rosemary, and sage all helped reduce HCAs. The antioxidants in citrus will also block HCA formation. My wife always uses limÚn or naranja agria plus plenty of spices to season meat prior to cooking. For those of us who use soy protein, we can mix a half-cup of textured soy protein per pound of ground meat before cooking. This can reduce HCAs by 95% without affecting taste. I sometimes make chorizo with meat and textured soy. It’s quite tasty!

The beneficial compounds in iced-tea can actually help detoxify HCAs. I’m talking about regular green or black tea, but it must be brewed from loose or bagged tea, not bottled or instant teas. Iced tea goes great with BBQ, anyway. You can even make a strong tea to marinate meat, poultry, or fish, prior to cooking. Since fruits and vegetables do not produce HCAs, it is a good idea to grill vegetables along with the meat, and enjoy the grilled veggies with the grilled meats. I thoroughly enjoy eating grilled bell peppers, green onions, and broccoli with my barbecue. Eating plenty of green salads with the barbecue will also lessen the cancer risk.

That will about wrap it up for this month. As always, consult with your physician before using any herbal remedies. I can be reached via e-mail at glorioso@netscorp.net for questions or comments on this column. Also, don’t forget that you can read and share the Medicine Man column and some previous articles in the Medicine Man Archives at the LareDOS website: www.laredosnews.com.

Finally, here are some easy-to-make marinades that can help make your cookout healthier and tastier. They can be used on all raw meats, poultry, and fish. Marinate for at least 10 minutes or longer before grilling.

Teriyaki Sauce Marinade
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 and 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
Mix all ingredients together and pour over meat prior to grilling.

Turmeric-Garlic Marinade
2 teaspoons garlic powder, or about 1 whole garlic bulb, peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon ground or powdered turmeric, or 3-4 ounces fresh turmeric, crushed
1/2 cup orange juice
Mix ingredients together and pour over meat prior to grilling.

Rosemary & Tea Marinade
1/2 cup strong-brewed tea, hot (2 tea-bags steeped in 1/2 cup hot water for 5 minutes)
1 teaspoon crushed rosemary, fresh or dried
1 fresh garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Add all ingredients to the hot tea, and steep covered. Allow to cool and pour over meat prior to grilling.